Society for the History of Astronomy Volume 10, no.1, February 2018. Editor: David Sellers

BAXENDELL OBSERVATORY In 1901 his son, Joseph Baxendell Jr, donated his fa- SIGNPOSTED! ther’s observatory and telescope to the Education De- partment of Southport Corporation. They were then installed in their present location on top of a specially built brick structure in Hesketh Park.

TOP ASTRO-PHOTOGRAPHER TO SPEAK AT SHA CONFERENCE Nik Szymanek, the well-known astro-photographer, will be speaking on the history and development of modern astrophotography at the Spring Conference of the SHA in Cambridge (details overleaf). Nik was originally a train driver on the London un- derground, but is now known worldwide for his deep sky CCD images and his contributions to education and public outreach. He is the author of the book Infin- ity Rising. His imaging and image-processing abilities brought him the Amateur Achievement Award of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific in 2004

We are pleased to report that the astronomical Ob- servatory in Hesketh Park, Southport, Lancashire (see report in SHA e-News, Jul 2015) has now been fully restored and has recently benefitted from the installa- tion of an excellent interpretative signboard. The sign- board was paid for by Skipton Building Society via one of their 2016 Grassroots Giving community grants, following an application by Southport Astro- nomical Society. A readable image of the signboard is included on page 9 of this issue of e-News. The observatory originally belonged to Joseph Bax- endell Snr (1815-87), the Manchester astronomer and meteorologist. Baxendell was particularly noted for his variable star observations and his researches into ter- restrial-magnetical effects. As a result of his meteorological work, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1884. Nik Szymanek speaking at RAS NAM 2012 (photo: Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net))

SHA website: http://www.shastro.org.uk/ Volume 10, no. 1 SHA e-News February 2018 page 2

FUTURE SHA MEETINGS 2019 SPRING CONFERENCE

2018 SPRING CONFERENCE This will be a two day event, to be held on 12/13 April at St.Anne’s College, Oxford. For further details The SHA Spring Conference for 2018 will be held at see the Chairman's Chat on page 5 of this e-News. the Institute of Astronomy, Madingley Road, Cam- bridge, CB3 0HA, on Sat 21 April 2018, 9.30 - 17.00. PRESENTATIONS & POSTERS?

The speakers and their subjects will be: If you would like to give a short presentation, or ex- hibit posters relating to your research, at future SHA Kevin Kilburn on Forgotten Star Atlas; events please contact the General Secretary. Carolyn Kennett & Brian Sheen on Ancient Skies and the Megaliths of Cornwall;

Nik Szymanek on The Road to Modern Astrophot- ography; SHA COUNCIL Kenelm England on Berkshire Astronomers: 5000 BC to AD 2018; The current SHA Officers & Council are: Jonathon Maxwell on Some lesser known aspects Honorary Council Members regarding the evolution of refracting telescopes: from Lippershey's spectacle lens to the Apochro- Hon President Dr Allan Chapman mats. Hon Vice-Pres. Dr Michael Hoskin Hon Vice-Pres. Prof. Sir Arnold Wolfendale, FRS Fee: £10 members, £15 non-members. Buffet lunch at £5 per person. For more details and pre-registration, Council Members please contact Dennis Osborne at meet- [email protected] Chairman Bob Bower Vice-Chairman (& e-News Editor) David Sellers General Secretary Laura Carroll Treasurer Geoff King Membership Secretary Gerard Gilligan Editors, SHA Bulletin Carolyn Kennett/ Len Adam Publicity Officer Mike Leggett Survey Coordinator Kevin Johnson Online Editor John Chuter Librarian James Dawson Meetings Organiser Dennis Osborne

Co-opted Officers (non-Council) Editor, The Antiquarian Astronomer Ian Ridpath Archivist Mark Hurn Assistant Librarian Carolyn Bedwell Birmingham & Midland Institute Historical Records Officer Anthony Kinder

SHA COUNCIL MEETINGS 2018 SUMMER PICNIC The following SHA Council meetings are scheduled The 2018 Summer Picnic will be on Sat 30 June for 2018: 2018 at Norwich AS’s Seething Observatory. Details Sat 24 Feb 2018, 10.30 am, Birmingham (BMI) will be given in the next SHA e-News. SHA members are very welcome to attend Council 2018 AUTUMN CONFERENCE / AGM meetings as observers. Please let the General Secre- tary know in advance, if you wish to do so. The Autumn 2018 Conference and AGM will be on Sat 27 Oct. 2018 at the Birmingham & Midland Insti- tute.

Volume 10, no. 1 SHA e-News February 2018 page 3

SHA PUBLICATIONS Back issues (except for the last 2 years) and guide- lines for contributions are available from the Bulletin SHA e-News web page. The next issue of the e-News is due in early May It is usually prudent to check with the Editors before 2018. If you know of any meetings, publications, exhi- preparing items where duplication is a possibility (e.g. bitions or events pertaining to the history of astronomy book reviews). Back issues of the Bulletin (and its that might interest other members, please email brief predecessor: SHA Newsletter) are now indexed on the details to the Editor. Abstract service of SAO/ NASA. Enter “SHAN” as the ‘Journal Code’ at http://adsabs.harvard.edu/bib_abs.html It is hoped that in the near future, scanned copies of the original articles will be accessible in the same way.

THE ANTIQUARIAN ASTRONOMER The Antiquarian Astronomer issue 11 was posted to members in June 2017. The next issue is due in the Summer of 2018.

Back issues and guidelines for contributions are available from the e-News web page.

SHA BULLETIN All members should receive issue 29 of the Bulletin in early April 2018.

Issue 11 contains the following papers: Williamina Fleming and the Harvard College Ob- servatory (Paul A. Haley); The Great Observatory at Downside 1859-67 (Stephen P. Holmes and Charles Fitzgerald-Lombard); An 18th-century astronomical hub in west Cornwall (Carolyn Kennett); and, William Ross and a misguided means of finding longitude (David J. Bryden). Members with email addresses should also receive a Note: the first six issues of The Antiquarian As- digital version. tronomer have been online at NASA’s ADS service since the start of 2015. Type “antas” into the box at the Contributions to the Bulletin are most welcome, in- top marked Journal Name/Code on this page cluding letters which can be on any aspect of the Soci- ety or the history of astronomy. Issue 30 is due in Oc- http://adsabs.harvard.edu/bib_abs.html tober 2018 and the deadline for copy is 1 Aug 2018. Members and others wishing to submit material for future issues of The Antiquarian Astronomer should

Volume 10, no. 1 SHA e-News February 2018 page 4 contact Ian Ridpath (Editor) at [email protected].  Munns, David PD. A Single Sky: How an Interna- Guidance for authors and some back issues can be tional Community Forged the Science of Radio As- found on The Antiquarian Astronomer web page. tronomy (2013) SHA LIBRARY NEWS  Pritchard, Michael. A directory of London photog- raphers, 1841-1908 (1986) The SHA library now has over 2500 books dedicated  Randles, WGL. The Unmaking of the Medieval to the history of astronomy and related subjects, nu- Christian Cosmos, 1500-1760 (1999) merous journals, as well as miscellaneous items in-  Rey, HA. The Stars: a new way to see them (1952) cluding letters, meeting programmes, conference pro-  Rogers, Frances. 5000 years of stargazing (1964) ceedings and the like.  Royal Astronomical Society, Astronomy in the UK Outside the legal deposit libraries, the SHA Library (1993) has one of the most extensive history of astronomy  Schindler, Robert. The Mechanic of the Moon, collections in any library in the British Isles. It is unique in having a collecting policy, totally focussed Dedicated to the Astronomers and Astrophysicists on history of astronomy, that includes not only the lat- (1906) est popular and scholarly works, but also the active  Taylor, Lucy. Stories of Noble Lives: Sir Josiah Ma- acquisition of second-hand books, astronomical son, James Nasmyth ephemera, and the preservation of the works of lesser (1895) known British astronomers and authors.  Wallis, Brad D. A manual Some of the library’s new additions: of advanced celestial pho- tography (1988)  Braude, SY. A Brief History of Radio Astronomy in  Winterburn, Emily. The the USSR (2012) Quiet Revolution of Caro-  Calvin, William H. How the line Herschel: the lost Shaman Stole the Moon: In heroine of astronomy Search of Ancient Prophet- (2017) Scientists from Stonehenge to the Grand Canyon (1991) Some recent donations [donor in square brackets]:  Cohen, Martin. In Quest of Telescopes (1980)  Ball, Robert. An Atlas of Astronomy (1892) [Ian  Davies, John K. The life Ridpath] story of an infrared telescope Library opening schedule: (2016)  Gore, J Ellard. Astronomical Curiosities: facts and Friday 16th February Thursday 12th April fallacies (1909) Monday 19th March Tuesday 22nd May  Grant, Edward. Physical Sciences in the Middle Ages (1971) If there is a specific date you would like to use the library let us know and we will try to accommodate  Hoyle, Fred. On Stone- this. On library open days the door will be open be- henge (1977) tween 10am and 3pm, but invariably it is open be-  Jones, Brian. Yearbook of tween 9am and 6pm but please do contact the library Astronomy 2018 (2017) in advance of a visit.  Kwok, Sun. Our place in The revised catalogue of books in the library is the universe: understanding available and a link to this can be found on the library fundamental astronomy page of the SHA’s website. from ancient discoveries (2017) If you want to know more about the library or its  Maunder, E Walter. Are stock, or if you’d like help with your research or find- the planets inhabited? (1913) ing a book or article, or other library-related matter, please do contact James and Carolyn who would love  Michel, Henri. Scientific instruments in art and his- to hear from you. tory (1967)

Volume 10, no. 1 SHA e-News February 2018 page 5

CHAIRMAN’S CHAT

the Paris Observatory, courtesy of the Société Astro- nomique de France, and as such we will be issuing a formal invitation to SAF members to participate on both days. The first day will be a tour of sites of as- tronomical interest. We will be visiting the Old Rad- cliffe Observatory and the Museum of the History of Science, as well as having a walking tour of other places in the city. The second day will be the confer- ence itself, to be held at St. Anne’s College. A confer- ence dinner will be held that evening at the College. Most college-based multi-day events in Oxford are normally only offered on a residential basis. However, St. Anne’s have agreed to waive this requirement. Delegates will be free to choose to stay in College at SHA Chairman, Bob Bower preferential rates, or wherever else they choose. An essential date for your diary, methinks. First of all, a warm welcome from me to our new members for this session. The current membership Bob Bower now stands at 224. That’s the largest it has ever been in the Society's history. My thanks go to all of you SHA RESEARCH GRANTS who have helped to contribute to this most satisfying SHA Small Research Grants are available for the pe- situation. riod 1 November 2017 to 31 October 2018 and appli- When I assumed the Chairmanship at the 2015 cations are solicited. The total amount allocated by the AGM, I suggested that the Society’s membership fig- Council for this round is £1500. These grants are made ures had some room for growth. However, my com- available to provide limited financial support for ments were directed towards increasing our overseas members’ research. representation. How wrong can you be – the majority Links to the application form and regulations for ap- of the growth since then has actually been here in the plicants are available on the Society’s Web site. Appli- UK. Nonetheless, I still harbour hopes that we can cations must be made using the application form. Ap- grow overseas too – and there are two specific events pended to the regulations are some guidelines for in the future that may well help us to achieve this. completing the case for support that forms part of The first of these is the invitation received from the every application. Antique Telescope Society for SHA members to attend their annual convention this August, to be held in SHA SURVEY NEWS Springfield, Vermont. You should all have seen my letter on this, which was emailed out to all the mem- Over the festive period our Survey Coordinator, bership in December. You will also find an update Kevin Johnson, has been busy adding all the remaining from John Briggs, ATS Chairman, on page 11 of this astronomy groups from the Federation of Astronomi- e-News. cal Societies and other website sources. We now have over 315 astronomy group stubs on the county pages. This will be an ideal opportunity for us to spread the A second index for these organisations has been cre- PR footprint of the Society and hopefully gain some ated, which can now be accessed via the drop-down more Stateside members too. Sure, there are signifi- tabs on the top of each page of the survey website. cant cost implications associated with attending – but These changes will soon be mirrored on the main site. maybe some of you might have some unused frequent flyer miles that might help defray this? I've not at- Several notable contributions from Bill Barton have tended any ATS events before, but I'm looking forward expanded the Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire and to this one. Stellafane will be back-to-back with it – Suffolk pages. The famous eighteenth century civil which I can heartily recommend. engineer, John Smeaton, is a surprising addition to the West Riding of Yorkshire page: not many people will The second event is the 2019 Society Spring Confer- be aware that Smeaton first gained fame, and was ence. This will be our first two-day event, to be held in elected to membership of the Royal Society, on ac- Oxford on 12 and 13 April of that year. Its genesis was count of his astronomy-related activities – especially to enable reciprocation for our highly successful trip to instrument making.

Volume 10, no. 1 SHA e-News February 2018 page 6

FORTHCOMING BOOKS of Pluto’s discovery, the NOTICED authors recount the grand story of our unfolding knowledge of the outer Northern Star: J.S. Plaskett by R. Peter Broughton Solar System, from Wil- (University of Toronto Press), Feb 2018, pp.600 liam Herschel’s seren- (hardback, £54.99), ISBN 9781442630178 dipitous discovery of Uranus in 1781, to the John Stanley Plaskett mathematical prediction was Canada’s pre- of Neptune’s existence, eminent astronomer in to Percival Lowell’s stud- the first half of the ies of the wayward mo- twentieth century. His tions of those giant plan- legacy lives on in the ets leading to his predic- observatory he founded tion of another world far- ther out. Lowell’s efforts led to Clyde Tombaugh’s in Victoria, British heroic search and discovery of Pluto—then a mere Columbia, and the speck in the telescope—at Lowell Observatory in reputation he built for 1930. Canada as a nation Pluto was finally recognized as the premier body in making vital the Kuiper Belt, the so-called third zone of our Solar contributions to basic System. The first zone contains the terrestrial planets science. Plaskett’s (Mercury through Mars) and the asteroid belt; the sec- pioneering work with the most massive stars and his ond, the gas-giant planets Jupiter through Neptune. definitive determination of the rotation of the Milky The third zone, holding Pluto and the rest of the Kui- Way Galaxy earned him international recognition of per Belt, is the largest and most populous region of the solar system. the highest order. Now well beyond Pluto, New Horizons will continue Northern Star explores Plaskett’s unorthodox and to wend its lonely way through the galaxy, but it is still fascinating life from his rural roots near Woodstock, transmitting data, even today. Its ultimate legacy may Ontario through his days as a technician at the be to inspire future generations to uncover more se- University of Toronto to his initiation in astronomy at crets of Pluto, the Solar System, and the Universe. the Dominion Observatory in Ottawa. His greatest Making Stars Physical: The Astronomy of Sir John achievements followed after he persuaded the Herschel, by Stephen Case (University of Pittsburgh government of Canada, in spite of the strictures of the Press), May 2018, pp.352 (hardback, £29.79), ISBN First World War, to finance what was then the world’s 9780822945307 largest operational telescope. Peter Broughton’s Making Stars Physical accessible and engaging prose illuminates Plaskett’s offers the first extensive numerous achievements and the social, political, look at the astronomical economic, and religious milieu surrounding them. This career of John Herschel, son of William Herschel richly illustrated volume invites readers to understand and one of the leading the pull that Plaskett’s passions, personality, and scientific figures in motivations exerted on him during his lifetime. Britain throughout much of the nineteenth century. Discovering Pluto: Exploration at the Edge of the Herschel’s astronomical Solar System, by Dale P. Cruikshank and William career is usually relegated Sheehan (University of Arizona Press), Feb 2018, to a continuation of his pp.504 (hardback, £33.56), ISBN 9780816534319 father, William’s, sweeps for nebulae. However, as Discovering Pluto is an authoritative account of the Stephen Case argues, John Herschel was pivotal in exploration of Pluto and its moons, from the first ink- establishing the sidereal revolution his father had lings of tentative knowledge through the exciting dis- begun: a shift of attention from the planetary system to coveries made during the flyby of the NASA New Ho- the study of nebulous regions in the heavens and rizons research spacecraft in July 2015. Telling the tale

Volume 10, no. 1 SHA e-News February 2018 page 7 speculations on the nature of the Milky Way and the Pluto looms large in sun’s position within it. Flagstaff, where residents and businesses alike take Through John Herschel’s astronomical career—in pride in their community’s particular his work on constellation reform, double most enduring claim to stars, and variable stars—the study of stellar objects fame: Clyde Tombaugh’s became part of mainstream astronomy. He leveraged 1930 discovery of Pluto at his mathematical expertise and his position within the Lowell Observatory. scientific community to make sidereal astronomy Percival Lowell began accessible even to casual observers, allowing amateurs searching for his theoretical to make useful observations that could contribute to ‘Planet X’ in 1905, and theories on the nature of stars. With this book, Case Tombaugh’s ‘eureka!’ shows how Herschel’s work made the stars physical experience brought and laid the foundations for modern astrophysics. worldwide attention to the city and observatory. Ever Further Adventures of the Celestial Sleuth, by D.W. since, area scientists have played leading roles in Olson (Springer/Praxis), Feb 2018, pp.334 (paperback, virtually every major Pluto-related discovery, from £22.50), ISBN 9783319703206 unknown moons to the existence of an atmosphere and the innovations of the New Horizons spacecraft. From the author of Lowell historian Kevin Schindler and astronomer Will Celestial Sleuth (2014), Grundy guides the reader through the story of Pluto yet more mysteries in art, from postulation to exploration. history, and literature are solved by calculating Kew Observatory and the Evolution of Victorian phases of the Moon, Science, 1840–1910, by Lee Macdonald (University of determining the positions Pittsburgh Press), Jun 2018, pp.336 (hardback, of the planets and stars, £33.56), ISBN 9780822945260 and identifying celestial Kew Observatory was objects in paintings. In originally built in 1769 addition to helping to for King George III, a crack difficult cases, keen amateur these studies spark our astronomer, so that he imagination and provide a could observe the transit better understanding of the skies. Weather archives, of Venus. By the mid- vintage maps, tides, historical letters and diaries, nineteenth century, it military records and the assistance of experts in related was a world-leading fields help with this work. center for four major For each historical event influenced by astronomy, sciences: geomagnetism, there is a different kind of mystery to be solved. How meteorology, solar did the changing tides affect an army’s battle plans? physics, and How did the phases of the moon affect how an artist standardization. Long before government cutbacks painted a landscape? Follow these exciting forced its closure in 1980, the observatory was run by investigations with a master “celestial sleuth” as he both major bodies responsible for the management of tracks down the truth and helps unravel mysteries as science in Britain: first the British Association for the far back as the Middle Ages and as recent as the iconic Advancement of Science, and then, from 1871, the 1945 photograph of a kiss in Times Square on VJ Day. Royal Society. Kew Observatory influenced and was Topics or ‘cases’ pursued were chosen for their wide influenced by many of the larger developments in the public recognition and intrigue and involve artists such physical sciences during the second half of the as Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet; historical nineteenth century, while many of the major figures events such as the campaigns of Braveheart in involved were in some way affiliated with Kew. Scotland, battles in World War II and the Korean War; Lee T. Macdonald explores the extraordinary story and literary authors such as Chaucer, Cervantes, of this important scientific institution as it rose to Shakespeare, Byron, and Edgar Allan Poe. prominence during the Victorian era. His book offers Pluto and Lowell Observatory: A History of fresh new insights into key historical issues in Discovery at Flagstaff , by Kevin Schindler, Will nineteenth-century science: the patronage of science; rundy, et al (History Press), Mar 2018, pp.144 relations between science and government; the (paperback, £16.44), ISBN 9781625859792 evolution of the observatory sciences; and the origins

Volume 10, no. 1 SHA e-News February 2018 page 8 and early years of the National Physical Laboratory, of each of the six that undertook research before World once an extension of Kew and now the largest applied War II - Oxford, Dunsink, Cambridge, Durham, Glas- physics organization in the United Kingdom. (Lee is a gow and London. Each struggled to evolve in the mid- member of the SHA and Deputy Director of the BAA dle ground between the royal observatories and those Historical Section) of the ‘ rand Amateurs’ in the nineteenth century. Fundamental issues are how and why astronomy came Celestial Stone Circles of West Cornwall: into the universities, how research was reconciled with Reflections of the sky in an ancient landscape, by teaching, lack of endowment, and response to the chal- Carolyn Kennett (Cornwall Stargazers), Jan 2018, lenge of astrophysics. pp.93 (paperback, £9.99), ISBN 9781973529125 Note: The descriptions of the books above are This book examines the largely taken from the publishers. They are not reviews archaeoastronomy work of and do not imply endorsement by the SHA. SHA member, Carolyn Kennett. Conducted within SHA ON THE ROAD the West Cornwall region of Penwith it surveys the four remaining stone circles suggesting links to astronomical events. Looking at celestial motions within the bronze age the book considers how the builders of these ancient and mysterious monuments had an eye on the sky and how they built in these reflections into the design and positioning of the circles in the landscape. The four remaining sites SHA stall at Aylesbury Astronomical Society are considered in turn; Boscawen-un, The Merry (6 Nov 2017) Maidens, Boskednan and the Tregeseal complex, Events in the coming year at which we intend to be shedding light on the astronomical links that these sites present include: had within the ancient past. - Institute of Astronomy Open Afternoon (24 Mar RECENT BOOKS MISSED 2018, IoA, Cambridge) British University Observatories 1772-1939, by - Webb Society Conference (2 Jun 2018, IoA, Roger Hutchins (Routledge), Nov 2016, pp.568 (pa- Cambridge) perback, £37.99), ISBN 9781138264205 If you will be at these events or live in the area and This fine book by SHA could spare an hour or two to help on a stall, it would member Roger Hutchins is be much appreciated. Please contact the Publicity Offi- now available at a greatly cer, Mike Leggett, first to check whether help is reduced price. The hard- needed. Please note that help with travel expenses can back by Ashgate 2008 was only be given in line with the SHA expenses policy marketed at £87 which and on the basis of prior agreement. doubtless deterred some interest. Ashgate were bought by Taylor Francis, who have reprinted it (i.e. not a revised edition) in softback under their e-News CONTACT DETAILS Routledge imprint. Communications relating to SHA e-News should be British University Ob- sent to the Editor: [email protected] servatories fills a gap in the historiography of British General communications to the Society should be astronomy by offering the histories of observatories identified as a group by their shared characteristics. sent to the General Secretary (Laura Carroll): gen- The first full histories of the Oxford and Cambridge [email protected] observatories are here central to an explanatory history

Volume 10, no. 1 SHA e-News February 2018 page 9

New interpretative signboard for the Fernley Observatory, Hesketh Park, Southport (see front page)

This Month in Astronomical History WEB-LINKS NOTICED Each month Teresa Wilson (Michigan Technological Planetary Nomenclature: A Brief History University) of the Historical Astronomy Division of and Overview the AAS, posts about an important discovery or memorable event in the history of astronomy. In the The Lunar and Planetary Information Bulletin (Jan one for January 2018 she looks at the discovery of 2018, Issue 151) - published by the Lunar and Plane- Ceres. Previous subjects can be viewed here. tary Institute - includes an excellent history of Plane- tary Nomenclature, written by Tenielle Gaither and Rosalyn Hayward of the U.S. Geological Survey, A short historical account and guide to Flagstaff. regular observation of Uranus This BAA webpage, authored by Paul Abel and Caroline Herschel – The Comet Hunter Damian Peach, examines some historical and some recent observations, accounts and discoveries relating A new video looking at RAS archive material relat- to Herschel’s planet. A review of past observations ing to Caroline Herschel has recently been posted by gives an idea of what variability to expect. the Objectivity series of films by James Hennessy and Brady Haran. This is a useful companion to an early Rediscovering the Bedford Catalogue for one about archives connected to William Herschel’s the 21st Century discovery of Uranus. Rob Peeling has undertaken to modernise Captain William Henry Smyth’s 1844 The Bedford Catalogue for use by modern amateurs. Now his work is complete he has kindly offered to provide his updated version of The Bedford Catalogue

Volume 10, no. 1 SHA e-News February 2018 page 10 in PDF format for anyone to download from the Webb RICHARD MYER BAUM Deep-Sky Society website. 1930-2017 It is complete with modern designations and posi- Since the last issue of SHA e-News, we have sadly tions right alongside Smyth’s original data and com- lost one of the UK’s most valued historians of astron- ments for his 850 entries. It also provides an updated omy. Richard Baum, an honorary member of the SHA guide for the bulk of the deep sky objects in Reverend died on 12 Nov 2017 in Chester, after a short illness. Thomas Webb’s Celestial Objects for Common Tele- scopes which were heavily based on the Bedford Cata- There will be a full obituary by Bill Sheehan in the logue. February issue of the SHA Bulletin. A link will also be provided to a comprehensive appreciation of Richard INFORMATION WANTED and his contributions, also written by Bill.

Images of the following astronomers wanted by SHA member, Brian Jones: English astronomer Henry Lawson (1774-1855) English astronomer Thomas Glanville Taylor (1804- 1848) English doctor and astronomer John Bevis (1695- 1771) English mathematician and selenographer Samuel Arthur Saunder (1852-1912) American radio astronomer Cornell Henry Mayer (1921-2005) Dutch astronomer Maarten van den Hove (1605- 1639) French Jesuit astronomer and mathematician Esprit Pézenas (1672-1776)

‘I have searched for these with no success’, says Brian, Richard (centre), surrounded by friends (l. to r.) Bill ‘and I wondered if any readers may be able to help. Sheehan, Bill Leatherbarrow, Nigel Longshaw, and If anyone can help, please feel free to email me on Jeremy Shears, at his Chester home in Mar 2015 [email protected]. The images are for use (photo: Julian Baum) with my daily (not-for-profit) “anniversary” postings on Facebook and Twitter’. NEW MEMBERS

20% OFF SPRINGER BOOKS We are pleased to give a warm welcome to the fol- The SHA has negotiated a 20% discount off a selec- lowing new members who have joined since the tion of Springer books for SHA members. This dis- last issue of SHA e-News: count will only be available to members for 30 days after an SHA event (e.g. Spring Conference, Autumn Paul Gardner, Solihull, Midlands Conference); the discount will also only be available Jonathan Ellis, Lutterworth, Leicestershire for 100 uses – if 100 people buy a book using the dis- Peter Ruane, Chelmsford, Essex count code, the code will then deactivate and no more Nicholas Kellerstrom, London books can be purchased using that discount code; a Andrew James, Burns, Chippenham, Wilts new discount code will then be issued at the next SHA Andrew M Wellington, Preston, Lancashire event. If you want to take advantage of this please Roy Norris, Newton, Powys browse the catalogue of Springer books which the dis- Mary McIntyre, Oxfordshire count can be applied to, and contact Gerard Gilligan, Stephen Jones, Harrow, London membership secretary, to obtain the discount code. 2018 subs were due on 1 Jan 2018. Thank you to all those who have already paid. Please note: If subscrip- tions (new rates) are not paid by 31 Mar, membership will lapse and receipt of publications, meeting notifica- tions, discounts and other benefits will cease.

Volume 10, no. 1 SHA e-News February 2018 page 11

OTHER MEETINGS, COURSES & The keynote speakers are: EXHIBITIONS NOTICED (non-SHA) Simon Oliver (Van Mildert Prof. of Divinity, Dur- ham University and Residentiary Canon of Durham BAA Historical Section Meeting Cathedral); Suzanne Conklin (Akbari, Prof. of English and Me- Sat 26 May 2018 (10.00-17.00) in the Smith Gallery dieval Studies and Director of the Centre for Medieval & Museum, Stirling. Studies, University of Toronto);

The forthcoming meeting of the Historical Section of Jim al-Khalili (Prof. of Physics and Professor of the British Astronomical Association will be in the his- Public Engagement in Science, University of Surrey). toric city of Stirling in central Scotland. The day will include an evening organised visit to the observatory History of Navigation Conference: on the roof of the Midland Hotel. Navigation, Heroism, History th SEAC 26 Conference - Harmony 24–25 May 2018 at the National Maritime Museum, and Symmetry: Celestial regularities Greenwich, London shaping human culture Royal Museums Greenwich and the Royal Institute of Navigation are holding another event to bring together 27 Aug – 1 Sep 2018 at the University of Graz, Styria, current research into the history of navigation. Austria In the 250th anniversary year of James Cook’s depar- Culture is impossible without structure, and structure ture in command of the Endeavour on the first of three means regularity, the repetition of similar units of so- famous voyages of exploration, this conference seeks cial behaviour. Astronomy as the oldest of natural sci- to interrogate the way stories are told about heroism in ences was always strongly connected with these regu- the history of navigation, including land, sea, air and larities in human societies. Astronomical observations space. were important for temporal and spatial structuring daily life, providing orientation in a purely practical, Suggested areas for discussion might include, but need but also in its spiritual meaning, thus connecting natu- not be restricted to: ral phenomena with astrological and religious interpre- • the construction of navigational heroism tations of the world. • alternative perspectives on the existing canon The celestial sphere, regarded as the sky of astron- • gender and the heroic omy and meteorology, as well as the heaven of divine • new tales of navigational heroism numina, from the early times of Anaximander and Py- Proposals for papers on these or related themes are thagoras till Copernicus and Kepler was equated with now being invited. symmetry, harmony, and beauty. Till today this has been reflected in the structure of cultural creations, E-mail the Research Administrator, Royal Museums from architectural objects to musical forms. This broad Greenwich ([email protected]) for further details. conception of Astronomy in Culture will form the ba- th sis of the 26th conference of the European Society for 27 Annual Convention of the An- Astronomy in Culture (SEAC). tique Telescope Society Science, Imagination, and Wonder: 8-13 Aug 2018 at Stellaphane, Springfield, Vermont, USA Robert Grosseteste and his Legacy Message to Bob Bower, SHA Chair from John Briggs Tue 3- Thu 5 Apr 2018 at Pembroke College, Oxford “I recommend folks travel to allow an arrival in The organisers, the International Robert Grosseteste Springfield, Vermont, no later than Wednesday eve- Society, are keen to encourage applications from all ning, August 8. The heart of the ATS meeting will be scholarly backgrounds and disciplines, sciences and the following day, Thursday. Friday and Saturday will humanities, for oral or poster presentations. The con- be the Stellafane Convention at nearby Breezy Hill. ference will celebrate the works of Grosseteste, espe- We will not schedule ATS activities Friday or Satur- cially in their response to natural phenomena, and the day to allow our members to participate fully at Stella- extended legacy of this thought in the Middle Ages fane. The program there will be especially well coor- and beyond. dinated with our interests this year - for example, a good number of ATS speakers can also make presenta-

Volume 10, no. 1 SHA e-News February 2018 page 12 tions at Stellafane, if they wish. And the Stellafane achievements of the last 50 years in using pulsars to experience will allow plenty of time for informal con- test Einstein’s theory and describe some of the strange versations that are often the best part of these events. behaviours of space and time when submitted to ex- treme gravity. “Sunday and Monday will offer tours of regional as- tronomical facilities of historical interest. I myself am The Ancient Egyptians and their As- organizing the tours, but I’m not able offer specific tronomy – an introduction details yet. My plan, however, is to include a number of rarely visited but interesting telescopes including Sat 2 Jun 2018, 2pm at Thames Valley Ancient the 18-inch at Wilder Observatory of Amherst College, Egypt Society, Oakwood Centre, Headley Road, the 9-inch at Dartmouth's Shattuck Observatory, and Woodley, RG5 4JB particularly, the very early Clark at Williams College. By Dr Pauline Norris, this lecture will introduce an- “There’s a chance we'll have some overflow ATS cient Egyptian Astronomy. Amongst other topics, it papers on Sunday morning at Hartness House, the site will consider the latest thinking about Nabta Playa and of the Thursday meeting. But most likely, especially Nut the sky-goddess. Pauline is an Egyptologist with by Sunday night, our tours will suggest we take hous- an interest in archaeo-astronomy, or cultural astron- ing at another location. The logistics of this and sug- omy. Her particular interest is in how the Egyptians gested housing options will be sent out by me and the used their knowledge of the heavens in their belief sys- ATS, later. For now, I can just say that I have good tems and in aligning their monumental architecture. experience organizing these ATS meeting extensions, Pauline is a member of Newtown Astronomy Society as we’ve called them, and we’ve always had a great in Mid-Wales and also edits the TVAES Newsletter. time. Pauline is also speaking at several astronomical so- “At this point, I'm thinking to feature facilities in cieties on the same topic, including: Redditch 14 May western New England that are a bit off the ‘beaten 2018, Cardiff 12 Apr 2018. track’. In other words, we’re not planning to include Boston area attractions as part of the Sunday-Monday tours. On the other hand, for folks coming a long dis- MYSTERIES FROM THE ARCHIVES tance and interested in the rather outstanding opportu- UPDATE nities near Boston (for example the collection at Har- vard, and also the wonderfully refurbished Whiten Ob- In the last issue of SHA e-News, we asked if readers servatory at Wellesley College), friends and I can help could help identify observatories, telescopes or people folks see such places starting Tuesday. Also, ATS featured in a number of photographs recently un- member Al Sliski has a large house in the Boston area earthed from the archives of Leeds Astronomical Soci- and has been talking about offering an open-house ety. With help from Kevin Johnson, James Dawson with dinner at his place just after the ATS events. So and John Murrell some of them have been identified. that will likely be another opportunity for anyone able to stay into the week of Monday August 13th.”

RAS Public Lecture: Einstein’s Rela- tivity: tested to the Limit with Pul- sars

20 Feb 2018 at 13.00 in the Geological Society Lec- ture Theatre at Burlington House and at 18.00 in the

Royal Astronomical Society Lecture Theatre at Bur- “Photo 6” lington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BQ Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity was pub- A Grubb Catalogue in the SHA Library (Catalogue lished in 1915. In over a century it has not failed a sin- No.4, Fig.31) shows exactly the same picture as Photo gle time despite hundreds of tests and experiments. 6 with the caption: “45ft dome for the 41inch Refrac- One of the most extreme environments in which to tor for Nicholaieff, South Russia, under construction at benchmark Relativity and possible alternative theories works”. No doubt this was the telescope/observatory of gravity is around pulsars (after black holes, the contract that was cancelled by the Soviet Government densest objects in the Universe). In this talk, Dr Rene in the 1920s. It would have been the largest aperture Breton (Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics at The moveable refractor in the world at the time. A success- University of Manchester) will discuss the formidable ful blank for the objective was made by the late 1920s,

Volume 10, no. 1 SHA e-News February 2018 page 13 but was never ground or polished. The observatory ever, to be the 40-inch reflector made in the 1920s by dome, base and telescope mount were all completed Grubb, Parsons & Co. for the observatory at Simeiz in but scrapped when the project fell through. the Soviet Union, which did go ahead. The tube in Photo 8, which reminded some readers of the Great Mebourne Telescope, seems likely how-

“Photo 8”

SHA CALENDAR

MONTH SHA EVENT OR PUBLICATION VENUE 2018 JAN FEB SHA e-News (1-5 Feb) Workshop: Researching Astronomy History (17 Feb) Birmingham MAR APR SHA Bulletin 29 (1 Apr) SHA Spring Conference (21 Apr) Cambridge MAY SHA e-News (1-5 May) JUN JUL SHA Summer Picnic (30 Jun) Norwich The Antiquarian Astronomer (Jul) AUG SHA e-News (1-5 Aug) SEP OCT SHA Bulletin 30 (1 Oct) SHA Autumn Conference & AGM (27 Oct) Birmingham NOV SHA e-News (1-5 Nov) DEC

Volume 10, no. 1 SHA e-News February 2018 page 14